In a significant development, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to present Sweden’s bid for NATO membership to the Turkish parliament, potentially putting an end to months of uncertainty and strain within the alliance.

Sweden and Finland, both of which had adhered to military non-alignment policies during the Cold War era, applied for NATO membership in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While Finland’s membership was approved in April, Turkey and Hungary had yet to endorse Sweden’s bid. However, with Erdogan’s agreement, it seems that the final hurdle for Swedish accession to NATO has been removed.

“This has been a good day for Sweden,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters, saying Monday’s statement was “a very big step” toward the final ratification of Sweden’s membership of NATO.

Sweden has been actively working towards joining the alliance at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, which is set to commence on Tuesday.

The joint statement issued by Turkey and Sweden highlighted Sweden’s commitment to refrain from supporting Kurdish groups and actively supporting Turkey’s efforts to revive its EU accession process.

Erdogan emphasised that the European Union should clear the path for Turkey’s own EU membership before approving Sweden’s NATO membership in the Turkish parliament.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged Erdogan’s commitment to push for ratification in parliament promptly, although a specific timeline was not provided. Previously, it took two weeks for Finland’s membership to be ratified by Turkey’s parliament.

The U.S. and its allies have exerted pressure on Turkey for months, with some NATO partners suspecting Turkey of leveraging Sweden’s membership to negotiate its defence deals, particularly in relation to its request to purchase F-16 fighters and modernisation kits from Lockheed Martin Corp.

U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the announcement, and he is scheduled to engage in face-to-face discussions with Erdogan during the NATO summit.

The resolution of Sweden’s NATO membership issue is anticipated to alleviate tensions within the alliance and facilitate the strengthening of NATO’s collective defence capabilities in the face of ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine.